Microsoft has outright denied all rumours of a cheaper Xbox One model launching this year.
Earlier this month, rumours of a cheaper Xbox One launching without a disc drive surfaced on the internet.
Although the report suggested the information about this cheaper Xbox One model was from “a well-respected senior source”, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg has squashed it flat.
Responding to a question on Twitter about the existence of the £349 Xbox One rumours,
The rumoured console was tipped to come at the same price as the PS4, without a Blu-ray disc drive leaving consumers to rely solely on digital game downloads.
To be honest, with the current price of digital games sky-high, we couldn’t really see the drive-less Xbox One taking off, even with a £80 price cut.
However, seeing as Microsoft has squashed the rumours, it’s not worth worrying about anyway.
Analysts have suggested that the Xbox One price cut will arrive “faster than we have forecasted”, as Microsoft will be forced to compete with the price of the PS4.
“It is possible that Microsoft will reduce Xbox One pricing far faster than we have forecasted,” said Michael Pachter, analyst at investment firm Wedbush Morgan. “Should hardware prices come down faster than we have modelled, it is likely that hardware and software sales will grow faster.”
The Xbox One is currently priced at £429, while the PS4 is £80 cheaper at £349. Neither come with any software for that price, but there are several bundles available online and in stores for both consoles that will get you slight discounts on launch titles.
Read more: Xbox One vs PS4
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
